Journal Entry #11: Monday, May 24, 2010

Monday was another beautiful day here, but I could tell it was going to be a warmer day than we’ve experienced to date.  Sure enough, it got warm - then it got hot.  I don’t know what the high temperature ended up being, but I’m not sure I want to know.   The upside of that was the sunshine seemed to illuminate a beautiful day full of activity and life.

 
The day started great when three students showed up at my apartment for an English class and Bible study.  Faye, and two of her roommates, Helen and Sue, showed up to learn more English by reading through the fourth book that we call John.  It was a good study.  Their English is pretty good anyway, so I think they had more longing about the study of John on their mind than they did about English.  But, if the students here are even decent about the English skills they love to meet and speak English with foreigners.  The study lasted about an hour and I gave them a copy of the book we were studying.  I served cookies, tea, OJ and one girl, Faye, even tried my instant Nescafe coffee!
 
After the class in my apartment I headed across campus to attend an English class for Barbara Last.  On my way to her class I saw the University Boys Football/Soccer team playing another school, with uniforms, cheering sections, the works.  The play was intense and rough.  It was so good to watch some sports from the other side of the world.  The USC team scored a goal while I was there and much jubilation and shouting proceeded! At one point there was almost a fight between the two teams, but the referee finally got control of the incident.  I did not have my telephoto lens with me but I got few good shots from too far away.  I hope they play again before I leave so I can take better photos.  I’m anxious to share the photos and more details with my favorite Harding soccer player, Shayna Varner.
 
Mrs. Last had been taking her class through a section of English where they learned the different states, the currency and other American concepts.  She even had a whole set of American currency quarters – one for each state.  That seemed to amuse them.  The class then broke into small groups because they had to practice their oral renditions of different Children’s stories such as Little Red Riding Hood.  They each took a character and next week they have to stand before the class and read aloud their selected parts.  I got to walk around and help them.  I loved reading the various parts with the animated storybook voices!

After class I walked back to my apartment and made a couple of PB & J sandwiches!  I had bought a very small jar of Smuckers Strawberry Jam at the big supermarket store and a jar of creamy Peanut Butter at the open street market.  It really hit the spot!  

I then worked on looking over my presentation materials for my 5:00 p.m. oral English (speech) class.  For this class I introduced the elevator speech concept last week, so this week I reviewed and then broke the class (of about 50) into small groups of three for them to practice their 20-second speeches!  I then asked for volunteers to come up in front of the class and present their speech.  No takers – then one of my student hosts, Cindy, raised her hand to help me out by volunteering.  She gave her elevator speech and did a wonderful job.  Before I let her sit down, I pulled out one of the large bags of candy that I brought with me from the States and told the class that because she volunteered she could reach into the bag and take a handful of the American candy!  Then I said, “Now, who wants to go next?”  With lots of noise, half of the class hands went up with lots of shouting, “me, me, choose me!”  It was fun.  I assured the class that I had enough candy for everybody when the exercise was over, so line up to give your speech.  The Chinese teachers that were sitting in the class thought it was the greatest thing they had ever seen!  I told them that I knew that everybody loves candy and “candy is candy in any language,” and that the fact that the candy came from America would particularly entice them. 
 
One of my student team members, Will, was with me and helped me with the presentation of the speeches.  We decided to go to dinner after class and we invited three of our student hosts to go with us, but only one, Amber, could do so.  We wanted to go back to the Noodle place we had eaten at before so we called Edwin and he, his wife Mary, and the two Harding girls met us there.
 
By the time dinner was over it was time to go to English Corner.  I usually like to stand on a few steps to keep the crowd from pressing me so and to be heard a little better.  Some like to hear the students their own age and some like the guys or the girls better, but we all get our share.  Some Chinese students will run back and forth to each of us throughout the evening.  There have been very few times in my life when I feel pressed by too many people around me, but the past two Monday nights’ English Corner experiences have been such times.   There is no program or format, just as many questions from the crowd as we can answer.  I usually make the students tell me as much as I tell them.  After all, I figure they are there to speak English, not just hear it!  We are finished whenever we simply say; “I’m too tired to do this any longer. I’m leaving now.”  Then we still get people following us a few blocks down the street with more questions.  It’s really pretty humbling when you realize how much they want to know more about our lifestyle we received from our Father.  And, we take this opportunity to tell them what passion drives our daily lives.
 
When I got back to the apartment it was almost 9:30. I was in bed before 10:00 o’clock and slept all night with the peace that passes understanding and still in absolute awe of where we are and what we are doing here!